


Generations

by Jake_Matthews



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Artist Steve Rogers, Dubious Consent, Flashbacks, M/M, Minor Sam Wilson/Clint Barton, One-Sided Attraction, Pining, Rare Pairings, steve rogers is a hypocrite
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-13
Updated: 2015-03-02
Packaged: 2018-04-25 15:18:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4965940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jake_Matthews/pseuds/Jake_Matthews
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hitting on Steve started as a joke, but after a while Tony starts to realise there's more to it than that. Little does he know that Steve has a damn good reason not to date him...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Like Father Like Son

It started out as a bit of a joke really. Just part of Tony's attempts to shock Steve. Somehow he'd got the impression that Steve was this perfect gentleman who never swore, knew nothing about sex, and would be shocked by references to such things. So, being Tony, he made a point of swearing in front of Steve, and left dirty magazines where he knew Steve would find them, and made overtly sexual comments around him. And since his impression of 1940's gentlemen didn't include homosexuality, he decided to hit on Steve. That was how it started. But when Steve's response to his flirting was just a moment of mock horror, before he turned away to continue the conversation he'd been having with Bruce about art, Tony found himself feeling rather put out. He was disappointed to have had so little reaction from Steve.

So he kept flirting. Steve chose to just ignore him most of the time, which got Tony really wound up. The more he was ignored, the more he wanted to flirt with Steve, just to get some kind of a reaction from him. He didn't even realise how obsessed he had become until late one night, seven weeks since he'd started hitting on Steve. He was down in the lab trying to work on his suit, but he couldn't seem to focus on it for more than about five minutes without his brain going back to Steve. Without even realising it, he was voicing his thoughts aloud to JARVIS, expressing his frustration that he couldn't get a reaction, and mulling over new ways to try and get to Steve. Eventually, the AI decided to comment.

"Sir, perhaps you should consider that Captain Rogers is not reacting because he has no interest in you, and does not wish-"

"Whoa, has no interest in me? What d'you mean by that, J? Are you implying that I'm interested in him?"

"I'm sorry Sir, I assumed that you were interested in pursuing a relationship with him, given your relentless attempts to 'make a move' on him over the past seven weeks and your current state of frustration that he does not react. In any case, perhaps it is time for you to put this particular task aside and focus on something else. For example, the development of the mark 47."

"Seven weeks? Has it really been seven weeks since I started this?" The length of time surprised Tony, and he quickly forgot everything else JARVIS was saying. He sat there, lost in thought. He examined his behaviour towards Steve, his feelings for the Captain and how the constant rejection was making him feel, and quite quickly came to the same conclusion as JARVIS. He was interested in Steve. More than interested. He was _obsessed_. Steve was almost constantly occupying his thoughts - dominating them even, and Tony wasn't just flirting to shock him. It was obvious that wasn't going to happen. No, Tony's reasons had changed, without him even realising it, to him actually wanting things to happen with Steve. Upon realising this, Tony muttered to himself, "Well, shit."

\- - - -

After that night, Tony continued to flirt with Steve, but he toned it down a little, trying to show Steve that he wasn't messing around anymore, that he was serious now. But somehow, that message didn't seem to be getting through. Steve was continuing to ignore him, and if he didn't ignore the flirting, he would respond by rolling his eyes, or some similar gesture to indicate how fed up of Tony's pranks he was. Having realised and accepted his feelings for Steve, each 'rejection' now felt like a knife in Tony's gut. But he kept at it, not caring that he was slowly being dragged down into insanity. He tried his best to keep it toned down, thinking that would convince Steve of the sincerity of his actions, but eventually he had to step it up again.

\- - - -

Steve was sat near the window, sketching absent-mindedly. The other Avengers, bar Tony, were scattered around the room, chatting. Occasionally Steve would join in with their conversation, but mostly he was silent, lost in thought. Until Tony entered. He glanced around the room, before making straight for Steve, swaying his hips slightly as he walked. Steve groaned internally, but did his best not to let it show. He really didn't want to offend Tony, and he _really_ didn't want to explain his aversion to Tony's advances. He couldn't do that. Couldn't break that promise.

Tony reached Steve, and moved to stand behind him, pressing against the supersoldier as he leaned down to look at the sketch-pad. "Whatcha drawin', Stevie?" Steve winced slightly at the nickname, but managed to hide it from Tony and replied as calmly as possible.

"Nothing in particular. Just whatever." Steve shrugged, the action dislodging Tony in an inconspicuous enough manner. Tony pouted for a moment, then renewed his efforts. He placed his hand on Steve's shoulder and began to slip it down into the back of Steve's shirt. Before he could move more than an inch, Steve snapped. He grabbed Tony's wrist and twisted it away from him as he stood.

"Enough, Tony! I am done with your stupid games! Just leave me alone!" he shouted. Tony looked at him in shock for a moment, then as Steve began to turn back to his drawing he snapped out of it. He would show Steve once and for all that it wasn't just a game. He grabbed Steve's shoulder and pulled him back round so they were face to face again. Then, without a moment's hesitation, he dove forward and slammed his lips into Steve's. It was probably the clumsiest kiss Tony had ever had, but it would get his message across, surely.

Steve's eyes widened when Tony's lips made contact with his own, and for the duration of the kiss he just stood there, frozen in place. When Tony pulled back, he released Steve's shoulder and stepped back, looking shy all of a sudden. He was suddenly very conscious of the other Avengers in the room. He glanced up at Steve to gauge his reaction, hoping desperately that it would be a positive one. It wasn't.

Steve was shocked. He dragged his arm across his mouth, trying to give himself time to compose himself. He found himself glaring at Tony, and he said, rather more viciously than he intended, "You done? Good, now piss off." Then he sat down and resumed his sketching, ignoring Tony as he staggered back. He retreated, heading to the bar for his go-to cure-all. He was in agony after that. Maybe Steve really wasn't interested, but he hadn't expected such a vehement reaction from the man. Steve was the nicest guy he knew, and this seemed so out of character. Of all the possible reactions he'd anticipated, he'd never thought something like this would happen.

\- - - -

Steve's mind was racing after that. He tried to turn his thoughts away from Tony, away from... _that..._ He turned the page in his sketchbook and began sketching Bucky, how he used to be, back in the 40s. Bad move. Very quickly his thoughts turned to a previous occasion where he had been sketching Bucky from memory, the very occasion he needed to avoid...

_He couldn't sleep. Not after watching his very best friend, the man who had been like a brother to him since childhood, fall... Drinking had had no effect on him, so he was sketching, sketching Bucky, remembering him... He couldn't believe he'd lost him, his friend, his comfort, his guardian angel..._

_He'd been so lost in memories, he didn't even notice the door open and close, didn't notice the soft footsteps as they approached, didn't notice he wasn't alone any more until a comforting hand was laid on his shoulder. He glanced up to meet the intruder's eyes, blinking as he tried to focus through his tears._

_"Stark?" he asked, his voice thick, throat clogged from crying._

_"Hey, Stevie." Howard spoke softly, and he gently rubbed Steve's shoulder. He didn't ask how Steve was doing, he didn't try to tell him everything would be okay, he just sat down beside him. He was just there for Steve, something which Steve was very grateful for. He looked at Howard, and they both knew he needed a distraction. Howard slipped his hand round the back of Steve's neck, sliding his fingers down the back of his shirt, and pulled him in for a kiss. Steve dropped his sketchbook and his pencil, reaching out to pull Howard even closer. It wasn't their first kiss, not by a long shot, but it was the first time Steve was ready to take things further. He started to fumble with the buttons on Howard's shirt even before his tears dried._

_If Howard was surprised by Steve's eagerness, or if he felt at all like this might not be the best idea under the circumstances, he gave no sign that he felt that way, and instead he followed Steve's lead, helping him to remove their clothes. He kept kissing Steve, and ran his hands over Steve's body, as Steve did the same to him._

_Steve found himself getting caught up in the moment, for the moment forgetting all about his sorrow and revelling in this new experience with his boyfriend. Memorising the shape of his body, the feel of his skin, the feel of his lips and hands on Steve's body. He lost himself in the sound of Howard's moans, which were like music to his ears. He was memorising every little detail, as if on some level he knew that he would soon lose Howard too, and that this night would be their last night together._

Steve's attention was snapped back to the present by the tiny splash of a tear dripping from his cheek onto the back of his hand. He glanced around quickly, checking no one had noticed his tears as he tried to subtly dry his eyes. He looked at the paper in front of him, relieved when he saw that no tears had fallen onto his sketch. But it wasn't Bucky he had drawn. Instead, Howard Stark was gazing back at him, a cheeky smirk plastered across his face. Steve smiled. He missed that smirk, although he often got to see an echo of it in Tony's face, it just brought back memories of what he lost when he went into the ice.

His eyes scanned the drawing, and he frowned slightly. Something was wrong, just slightly off with the image. He tapped his pencil slightly on the edge of the paper, murmuring, "Well that's frustrating." He'd momentarily forgotten the presence of the other Avengers, but remembered all too suddenly as they all fell silent and turned to look at him. He went rather red and muttered, "Sorry, just... something's off with my sketch, can't quite put my finger on it..."

"Thought you were just doodling?" Natasha asked as she walked over. Steve grimaced slightly and didn't respond. She looked over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Howard Stark? Why'd you draw Howard Stark?" Steve blushed slightly, knowing Natasha would see straight through any attempt to lie his way out of this.

"Just... he was on my mind..." It was part of the truth.

"It's a beautiful drawing. What exactly do you think is wrong with it?" The other Avengers walked over to see the drawing, except Tony, who remained in his seat by the bar, drinking.

Steve frowned. "I don't know really... There's just some small detail that I've mis-remembered, but I can't figure out what." While he focused, scanning the image to fund the error, his pencil began shading lightly at the bottom of the sketch, on Howard's shoulder. At first Steve didn't even realise what he was doing, but after a moment he did, and that was when he found the flaw in his artwork. Blushing slightly, trying to hide his face, he leant forward and began 'fixing' Howard's hair, pretending that was his issue. He tried to subtly cover the bottom of the image, but Natasha was not to be fooled that easily.

"Whatcha hiding there, Steve?" she asked, gently tugging at his shoulder to pull him back and reveal the area he suddenly seemed desperate to cover. Clint was first to spot what he'd done.

"Any particular reason why he's shirtless?" the assassin queried, before spluttering, "...and is that a hickey?!" He pointed at the small area of shading Steve had just added. Tony's head shot up, and he pushed himself away from the bar, staggering towards the group. He looked over Steve's shoulder at the sketch, and scowled.

"Steve, what the fuck? Why - why would you draw my dad like this?" Steve bit his lip, trying to think of an excuse. The truth was, this was how Howard had looked when they woke after their night of passion. That was when Steve had made the promise never to tell anyone what had happened between them. The promise that he didn't seem able to keep for much longer. Steve sighed.

"Howard and I used to date, for a while, back in 1945... I was thinking about a particular night we spent together, and I guess this is what came out of that." He put a hand to his face, ashamed to have broken his promise, and concerned about how Tony was going to react. The genius spluttered a bit before responding.

"You - you and... my dad? You guys were a... a thing? Wha- Why- Why was that on your mind?" Steve groaned. He really didn't want to answer that question. Bruce chipped in a suggestion, one which only made things even more uncomfortable.

"Like father, like son?"

"Bruce, are you suggesting I kiss like my dad?!" That hadn't been it at all really, but now that Steve thought about it, that kiss had been similar to his first kiss with Howard, if only in the fact that Tony and Howard had both gone in for a kiss regardless of what Steve seemed to want. Steve shook himself. He really didn't need to start comparing how the Stark men kissed. He took a deep breath before explaining.

"That's not why I thought of it. You hitting on me has been making me uncomfortable because of the relationship I had with Howard, but it's not why the memory came to me just then." He thought it was best to steer clear of the fact that Tony had brought it to mind. "I intended to draw Bucky, because he was always a calming influence when I got worked up. The night with Howard... the one that made me draw this... It was the night Bucky fell. I'd been drawing him when Howard came to comfort me... That's how that came to mind, why I drew him. Nothing to do with you, Tony. Just a coincidence really."

"Why didn't you say something before? All this time that I've been hitting on you, you could've said something. But you didn't. Why?"

Steve groaned again. "Because I promised Howard that I'd never tell anyone about us. And because I didn't think you'd really appreciate hearing about your dad's sex life." He regretted those words the instant they left his mouth. Tony blanched, and fled the room.


	2. Before You Were Born

It had been six weeks since Tony's ill-fated attempt to kiss Steve, and the traumatised billionaire was still going out of his way to avoid his father's ex. This evening he'd got in the Iron Man suit and flown up to sit on top of the Brooklyn Bridge. He was sat there, chin resting in his hands and elbows resting on his knees, staring out at the darkening city grumbling internally. There was no other word for it; he was sulking. And that just made him hate Steve even more. He was a grown man, a superhero, and-

"Hey Tin-man, is this a private sulk or can anyone join in?" The unfamiliar voice jolted him out of his thoughts and he glanced over his shoulder to see a man climbing up next to him.

"Hey, get down from there, it's dangerous, and I'm not really in the mood for heroics today," he snapped, turning away again.

"Please, I've been climbing up here since before you were born, Tin-man." Tony's head snapped up, and he stood, turning to look directly at the man while standing in mid-air. Long dark hair, a cocky smirk, heavily muscled body, and a metal arm. The Winter Soldier. Stood, arms folded, leaning against the bridge, only a few feet away from him. Tony swallowed, then flipped up his mask so Winter could see his face, jaw set.

"Give me one good reason I shouldn't kill you right now," he threatened, raising one arm and powering up ready to blast him. Winter raised an eyebrow at him, not bothered at all by the threat.

"Killing me would be giving me the easy way out, where I don't have to try and live with what I've done. I won't have to deal with the guilt of having murdered so many innocent people. I won't have to face Steve after trying to kill him, after murdering his ex, trying to kill his friends. If you want me to suffer for what I've done, you're not gonna shoot." Tony narrowed his eyes, but he could see past the cocky smirk, could see in Winter's eyes that the knowledge of what he'd done was torturing him, that what he said was true, and that killing him would be doing him a favour. Tony lowered his arm and after a moment's pause, he returned to his seat on the edge of the bridge.

"So do you plan on facing Steve any time soon?" Tony asked as Winter dropped down next to him, legs hanging over the edge, leaning back against part of the bridge.

"Right now, I don't think I can face him without resorting to my programming and trying to finish my mission. So, until I can be trusted not to harm him, I'm avoiding him. Just like you, Tin-man." Tony grunted in response. "So why are you hiding from Steve?"

"I spent weeks hitting on Steve only to discover that he slept with my dad," Tony spat bitterly, hating himself for his feelings, hating Steve for his actions, hating everything about this damn situation.

"Wait, Steve and Howard slept together? When'd that happen?" Winter sounded genuinely shocked by the revelation.

"Uhhh... I think Steve said it was the night that Bucky - you - fell..." It suddenly clicked in Tony's brain that the man sat next to him was Steve's childhood best friend. He looked up, suddenly curious to get a better look at the man that Steve claimed was worth ten of him. Bucky was grimacing, whether it was because of the name 'Bucky' or the mention of his fall, Tony didn't know, but he guessed it was probably the latter. "Steve said that he'd been crying, and Howard, he uhh... he came to comfort him..."

Bucky's expression darkened. "That's his idea of comforting? Sex? As if Steve was in any frame of mind-" He cut himself off, taking a deep breath and trying to relax his hands, which had clenched into fists at Tony's words. Then he growled, "He took advantage of my Stevie. He didn't deserve the easy death I gave him, he needed to suffer." His fists clenched again, and the metal one struck out, slamming into the beam they were sat on. Tony recoiled, shocked by the unexpected change in Bucky. He stepped off the beam again and moved to a position from which he could see Bucky's face. The tortured look in his eyes was gone, replaced by a grim expression, an expression that sent shivers down Tony's spine. It was an expression of fury and hatred for Howard Stark. Tony swallowed and stretched a hand out to touch Bucky's arm. The Winter Soldier flinched, jerking his arm away from Tony, then lunged at the metal man, temporarily forgetting their current location. Tony dodged his lunge and Bucky began to fall, plummeting towards the river below. With Hydra's super-soldier serum, Bucky would probably survive the fall, but Tony didn't want to risk Steve's wrath if he was wrong, so he dropped his mask down again as he dove after Bucky, using the digital display inside the helmet to help him track Bucky's fall and catch up to him.

It wasn't all that hard to catch Bucky. The hard part came after, as Bucky, not entirely himself at present, did not appreciate Tony's help and struggled in his iron grip. Tony grappled with him and managed to direct them over a rooftop where he could release Bucky safely. He dropped him from a slight distance, and Bucky rolled across the rooftop while Tony dropped down to land, on his feet, facing Bucky. Bucky brought his roll to a halt, lying face-down, and began to push himself up. Tony stepped towards him, arm outstretched, threatening. Bucky raised his head and looked at Tony, saw the threat, and collapsed to the ground again. He rolled to his side and raised his hands in surrender. Eyeing him suspiciously, Tony slowly lowered his hand. Bucky then pushed himself to his feet, breathing heavily.

"And _that_ , is exactly why I don't trust myself around Steve yet. I'm unpredictable, dangerous. He's more at risk than most because I was ordered to kill him, and because, reckless idiot that he is, he refuses to see me as anything other than his best friend, the guy who pulled him out of all sorts of stupid fights that he should have avoided because he was too weak to fight. The guy he went miles behind enemy lines for, on his own, with no hope of any backup if things went wrong. Stupid punk." His tone was bitter but also affectionate. Tony flipped up his mask again to look Bucky in the eyes.

"You really care about Steve, don't you?"

"Course I do. He's my best friend. You care about him too." It wasn't a question, it was more a statement; a matter of fact. Tony snorted.

"Yeah, I care. I don't want to, but I do. I want to get over him, move on, but I can't. He's my dad's ex, and I-"

"That was before you were born. It's a long time ago, it doesn't matter any more. Forget about it, and just focus on the fact that Steve doesn't want you. That's how you get over him. He doesn't want you, but he still needs you as a friend. Sure, you might need some space at first, but eventually you'll be able to be around him again. Trust me, I've been where you are now, and it won't do you any good to keep focusing on Howard as the reason you can't be with him." Those words took Tony by surprise, but before he could respond, Bucky continued, "I'll come see Steve when I'm ready. Don't tell him you saw me. But please, try and be his friend still." Bucky turned and headed for the edge of the rooftop, but Tony took flight and beat him to the edge, blocking his path.

"I won't tell Steve, but I'm not just letting you go. I can help you. I can find you a safe place to stay, help you adjust to modern life, keep you from hurting anyone when you have an episode. Please Bucky, let me help you." Bucky paused, thoughtful.

"I'm used to constantly moving around. I can't settle down in one place right now. Just staying in New York is hard enough for me. I have plenty of safe places that I can go to, I don't need help with that. I don't know about adjusting to modern life, but it would make me feel better to know someone was there to stop me hurting anyone. How do you suggest you do that?"

"I'll get you a mobile phone. When you need my help, just message me and I'll come. I'll make sure it's got a GPS tracker so I know where you are. And if you have a phone, then that will help you adjust, a little at least. You might not want it, but I could give you Steve's number as well, so when you're ready you can call him, if you like. It might be easier for you than going straight for a face-to-face meeting." Bucky looked at him for a moment, then nodded once. Tony smiled, and the two dropped from the roof together.

\- - - -

True to his word, Tony gave Bucky a mobile phone, with his number and Steve's programmed in. Most of the time Bucky's messages to Tony consisted of the word 'help' and a location, but depending on how severe the episode was he couldn't always manage. On some occasions Tony would merely receive the word 'help' or even just a blank message. Those were the times Tony deemed most urgent, and he would drop everything to get to Bucky and help him, whether that be by offering a shoulder to cry on, by talking to him, by removing him from a situation that was causing him extreme stress, or by keeping him away from people whom he might harm. He became so focused on helping Bucky that he stopped avoiding Steve without even realising it. None of the Avengers pointed it out, but they did gradually become curious about why he would sometimes get a message and just take off, without a word as to where he was going, or why.

It got to a point where Bucky was texting Tony for more than just emergency situations where he needed Tony's help. They chatted via text message, and Tony began introducing Bucky to all sorts of other features on his smart phone. Tony tried to convince Bucky to call Steve, but he didn't seem to be making any progress. Suggesting he talk to Steve usually resulted in a change of subject, or Bucky not replying for hours. The latter situation often had the next message from Bucky being a request for help, as he'd triggered an episode trying to work up the courage to call Steve.

Several weeks after Tony and Bucky first met on the bridge, the Avengers were gathered in the living room watching Star Wars. They'd had a big day fighting the previous day, so decided to relax with a marathon of all six films in chronological order. Tony was curled up on one end of the sofa with his phone in his hands, texting Bucky. Bucky was watching at the same time, on a laptop that Tony had given him. They were discussing the films, and Tony was sharing some of Steve's reactions, and occasionally the other Avengers if he thought it would amuse Bucky.

They were nearing the end of _Empire Strikes Back_ when Tony sent the message, _Steve is grumbling about Luke being a reckless idiot. Shall I call him on his bullshit?_

_Just point out that he basically did this for me back in 1943._

"Hey Stevie? You do realise that Luke going back is pretty much the same as what you did in 1943, right?" Steve spluttered, trying to come up with a response to Tony's accusation. His mouth opened and closed without any coherent sounds. Tony smirked and texted Bucky the result, nestling down into the cushion-and-blanket cocoon he'd made for himself. Steve, unable to think of an appropriate retort, resorted to a low blow.

"D'you know what else I did in the war? Your dad." Tony stiffened, but Bucky's words echoed through his brain, _'That was before you were born,'_ and with a deep breath, he relaxed again. He decided not to respond to Steve's attack, and instead sent Bucky another message. _He retaliated by bringing up the fact that he did my dad in the war._ Bucky didn't reply immediately, and Tony returned to watching the film, but his shoulders were tense as he worried that the mention of Steve doing Howard would trigger another episode for Bucky.

The tension as Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader meet on Cloud City was rudely interrupted by _American Idiot_ , the latest song Tony had set as Steve's ringtone. Clint buried his face in Sam's shoulder to hide his sniggering, and Steve glared at Tony as he dug around for his phone. Before he'd even found his phone he frowned slightly as he realised, "Who the hell is calling me? You guys and SHIELD are the only ones who have my number, and SHIELD gave me the day off." He located his phone and pulled it out, frowning as he saw an unrecognised number. He hesitated before accepting the call. He put the phone to his ear and opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by the voice on the other end of the phone, screaming loud enough for the other Avengers to hear. Natasha hit pause to make it easier to eavesdrop.

_"Seriously Steve?! He calls you out on your bullshit so you remind him that you fucked his dad? What the fuck is wrong with you?! How is that even relevant, that's just cruel! I expected so much better of you punk, I can't believe you-"_

"Bucky?! Wha- How- Who- What are you- Who gave you my- How do you know- Huh? The fuck?" Steve must have been completely lost for words to resort to that. Tony smiled to himself, picturing Bucky at the other end of the phone suddenly realising that he'd spoken to Steve for the first time since their battle at the Triskelion.

_"Umm... Tony gave me your number. I made him promise not to say anything to you about me, but he insisted on trying to help me get better... We've been talking for a few weeks."_

"So you're the person Tony's always texting? The one he'll drop everything for and refuse to tell us where he's going?"

_"Sometimes I need him to come and talk to me, or stop me from hurting people, and when that happens I text him and he comes to help me. But that's not what this is about! You can't just point out that you fucked his dad whenever he upsets you Steve, that's not okay."_ Steve smiled, amused by Bucky's frustration.

"I know, I shouldn't have said that. But he brought you up, and that hurt."

_"I told him to mention me, can't have you bullshitting about recklessness, you reckless punk."_

"Jerk." Steve turned away from the group and lowered his voice, but everyone could hear his next words anyway. "I miss you, Buck."

_"I miss you too, Stevie. But right now I don't trust myself around you. I promise, I will come home eventually, just... give me time, okay?"_ Steve nodded, forgetting that Bucky couldn't see him, and sniffed, trying not to cry.

"Yeah, okay Buck. But... will you text me now? Just to... let me know how you're doing..."

_"Sure, Stevie. Umm... I need to go now."_ Bucky's voice was beginning to sound shaky, and Tony guessed his next sentence before he said it. _"Can you send Tony over? He'll know where..."_ Then the call cut off. Steve looked at his phone, panic flashing across his face, and he turned to Tony, who was shaking off the blankets already.

"He'll be fine Steve, he's probably just feeling overwhelmed right now." He patted Steve's shoulder as he passed, heading out onto the balcony where he was met by his suit before he jetted off to help Bucky.

\- - - -

When Bucky did eventually meet Steve again, it wasn't by choice. He and Tony had met up for coffee at the mall, and while they were there, some rogue Hydra agents attacked. Tony flicked his wrist to summon his suit, and JARVIS alerted Steve to the situation. Steve grabbed Clint and Natasha and they headed out to Tony's aid. Steve instructed JARVIS to delay the suit until they were in position, thinking it would be better for Tony. What he didn't know was that Tony and Bucky had already been located by the Hydra agents and dragged to the centre of the mall. The Hydra agents were trying to trigger Bucky's programming, but he resisted them and stood by Tony.

Tony kept trying to summon his suit, not knowing what Steve was planning until the plan was enacted. There were Hydra agents on every floor of the mall, with hostages, and Tony and Bucky were surrounded by a handful of agents, with many more scattered throughout the floor. Steve smashed through the ceiling, curled up behind his shield, and Clint and Natasha rappelled down after him, firing at the Hydra agents on the upper floors, eliminating them swiftly. Tony's suit followed too, and as soon as he was suited up, he began fighting the agents around him. Clint and Natasha began clearing escape routes for the civilians in the mall, while Bucky, Steve and Tony dealt with the remaining Hydra agents.

Steve threw his shield, frisbeeing it at a pair of Hydra agents, but was tackled from behind and prevented from catching it as it rebounded. It sailed across the room and was caught by Bucky, who used it to shield himself from an attack, before smashing his attacker in the face and then throwing the shield back to Steve. The manoeuvre was smooth, felt natural, and a smile played across Bucky's face as he turned back to his fight. All these years and he and Steve still fought as a team with barely any effort. It was pure instinct.

As the last opponents were taken down, Bucky heard a cry from across the room. He and Steve turned as one to see Tony come crashing down, the force of the impact cracking the floor. The cause of the fall seemed to be a weapon wielded by a Hydra agent, a weapon resembling a cannon. Steve met Bucky's eyes and made a motion with his shield. Bucky nodded, and they began to run, Steve raising his shield and Bucky leaping as they came together. Bucky landed atop the shield and Steve pushed it into the air as Bucky sprung, sending him hurtling towards the agent with the cannon. A kick to the face and the agent was down, another and they weren't getting up again. Bucky motioned at Steve, who hurled the shield up to him. Bucky caught it deftly and used the edge of the shield to slice through the firing mechanism, disarming the weapon. Then he leapt down and ran to Tony, dropping the shield at Steve's feet.

Tony was hurt, bad, but he was still conscious, and he was attempting to sit up in the small crater he created on the floor. Bucky skidded to a halt and dropped to his knees beside the billionaire. Tony flipped his mask up and looked at Bucky. Before he could say anything Bucky dived forward and kissed him, unable to articulate his feelings any other way. Tony was surprised by the kiss, but after a moment he responded, having been slowly falling for Bucky ever since they'd met.

They separated when Steve cleared his throat. Bucky blushed, and helped Tony to his feet before looking up and seeing Steve stood with Clint and Natasha, looking straight at him. Bucky smiled slightly and said quietly, "Hey, Stevie." Steve's face broke into a grin and he stepped forward to embrace Bucky, who did his best to hug him back while still supporting Tony. Steve broke away from him and, still grinning, turned to the others.

"Clint, call your boyfriend down here, and tell him to bring Rhodey. They can fly Tony back home. He's in no state to get back himself. Tony tried to protest, but a stern look from Bucky silenced him. It wasn't long before Sam and Rhodey arrived, and after they'd relieved Bucky of Tony and begun their careful flight back to the Tower, where Bruce was waiting to treat Tony's injuries, Steve pulled Bucky in for another hug. Bucky smiled at him.

"It's good to see you again. Thanks for... you know..." He gestured at the defeated Hydra agents, and Steve clapped him on the shoulder.

"No problem buddy. Now, I'd like to introduce you to Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff." After introductions, he invited Bucky to come back to the Tower with them. Bucky nodded eagerly.

It wasn't much longer before Bucky moved in, and although he still had episodes occasionally, he had the whole team to help him now, and he soon settled in, happy to have friends again, and elated to be with Tony. He had the best boyfriend ever, even if every so often he did have to use the phrase, "it was before you born, Tony."


End file.
